Cycling through Clouds in Central Asia: Kara kul to Sargata in Kyrgyzstan; Rain; Today: 52 km; Total: 1750 km

June 2, 2014

It rained all night and all morning, so we broke camp very late. We changed some money in the bank, did some groceries for dinner, and found a good restaurant to have Shorba. Then, we hit a steep road in light rain. We climbed from 700 meters to 1400 meters. Then we descended rapidly to a nice lake where we stopped for a tea. The rain started again, full force, and we were climbing again.

At 5:30, we decided to camp. The road would not promise a good spot ahead, so when we saw a hut and a lot of sheep around it, we considered it our only chance for a camp spot. There were three men sitting outside the hut—drinking. They shouted, "Salam", so we went to them and tried to make them understood that we wanted a place to camp. They were "very" friendly and offered us the hut, but they were too drunk to be trusted. We left them.

After a short while, I got my first flat. I whistled loudly and asked Fausto, who was 300 meters ahead, to ride back. After changing the tube, we didn't have much time left, so on top of the hill, we camped, cooked pasta in the rain, and prepared to spend yet another rainy night in our tents.

Cooking Dinner in Rain

Camping Spot

Cycling through Clouds in Central Asia: Naryn to Kara kul in Kyrgyzstan; Up and down all Day; Today: 60 km; Total: 1698 km

June 1, 2014

We couldn't sleep well last night. The road, the dogs, the worry of not having everything in the tent kept us from a good sleep. At 5:30, we woke up to a thunder clap. Immediately, we started to pack. We managed to have everything in our water-proof bags before it started to pour down. We waited for two hours for the rain to stop during which we had tea and boiled eggs. We started the ride with our rain gear on, but soon we got rid of them as the weather got better. For 50 km, there was nothing: no shops, no cafés or villages. There were two hydro electric dams taming this river; that was all.

We were very hungry when we arrived at some restaurants. We were relieved that we could finally eat some good food after biking 50 km. But we were wrong because strangely enough, all the restaurants served boiled eggs; that's it, that's all! Boiled eggs; all the ten restaurants. Having had boiled eggs for breakfast, we didn't fancy that on the menu at all no matter how hungry we were. But...the choice was clear. Boiled eggs, or empty stomach. At the end, we settled on one egg each, with tea.

We left the "restaurant" very dissatisfied, and hit the road. We had to pass through a toll booth 500 meters ahead. As soon as we passed the booth, there was a restaurant right there which had some real food. We stopped there and had dumplings.

When we left the restaurant, it was really hot. We climbed a steep road for half an hour when we arrived in a village--Kara Kul. The clouds were closing up, so we decided to camp before the rain catches us.

I saw Fausto talking to some people who happened to be mechanics. When we asked the guy where to camp, he offered his property. We accepted his offer, but first, we had to go to the village to buy groceries for dinner.

We pitched up our tent, took a nap, had tea with the owner of the property, had a very salty soup, and now, we are in our tents, listening to the rain riddling our tent. Tomorrow, we have to change some money. We have no Com left. The challenge is that there is no bank in these small villages!

The Mechanic

Cooking from inside the Tent

 

Most Statues were warriors

Hydro-electric Dam

Cycling through Clouds in Central Asia: Jalal Abad to Naryn in Kyrgyzstan; Wrong Road; Today: 130 km; Total: 1638 km

May 31, 2014

At 6 am, after asking some people for direction to Bishkek, we started the day on a narrow, bumpy road with many inconsiderate drivers.  

All morning, I doubted the direction we were going, but I trusted my GPS and rode on. At noon, after having lunch in a cafe, we took a look at the map in Lonely planet guidebook, and realized that we were on the wrong road! This road would also take us to Bishkek, but not through small villages and unbeaten paths. It was the main road to Bishkek.

The only way to get back on the right road was to cycle back 80 km to Jalal Abad through the same dangerous road. Considering the not-so-pleasant experience last night, we decided to continue the same road to Bishkek--Road M 41, which is the quickest road to Bishkek, but not the safest or the most beautiful. Besides, this road has two very high passes before Bishkek, and it goes through many mountains.  

In the afternoon, the road got very close to Uzbek border. In late afternoon, our spirit was lifted at the sight of some mountains. We arrived at a village, Naryn, and bought pasta and some veggies for dinner. By then, we had already covered 130 km, so we wanted to camp, but where?

Unlike the Tajik people, who would offer their garden when asked about a camp spot, Kyrgyz people would tell us to go further ahead. Finally, we asked a restaurant owner, whose house was behind the restaurant. He offered a place in his yard for $4. We had no choice.  We started the dinner and got ready to sleep in the open. What if it rained?

 

A Japanese Dude on His Way to Europe

Our Camp for the Night

Cafe Owner and Her Grandson

Timid Curious

Cycling through Clouds in Central Asia: Osh to Jalal Abad; Today: 100 km; Total: 1604 km

May 30, 2014

To avoid the rush-hour traffic, we woke up to my alarm at 5:30, had a coffee, and took off. Radu had managed to get the GPS maps from Open Street for me, so it was a relief that at least we had a half-hazard map of Kyrgyzstan. The ride started with some heavy traffic in a narrow road with no shoulder. The coming traffic was rushing to get to Osh, so we had to be very careful, and sometimes, get off the road to avoid the coming traffic.

After two hours, we stopped in a cafe and had breakfast: eight fried eggs with tea. Then, the non-stop ride began.

In a village/roadside town, we stopped and bought some veggies for dinner. The rain had started already. We started looking for a spot, but we could not find a possible camp spot. Anyone we asked where we could pitch up our tent repeated the word, “Jalal Abad”, which was the third largest city in Kyrgyzstan! That meant no camping for the night.  

The heavy rain and the bumpy road to Jalal Abad coupled with stones thrown at me made the ride rather frustrating. We were cold, wet, and tired.

 With the help of the GPS, we found a decrepit hotel: Mal Mal—a very old, huge building which was literally falling apart. It had not been maintained for ages, with no shower, no elevator, no internet for $7. We washed ourselves in washroom with cold water, ate in a cafe in bazaar, and spent some time in a coffee shop.

I checked the weather forecast. It was going to be rain again for a few days!

Cycling through Clouds in Central Asia: Osh; Today: 90 km; Total: 1504 km

May 28-29, 2014

After having some kind of concentrated milk with coffee and bread, we left for Osh. It was all downhill, so we arrived at about 11 am. When in Osh, you cannot help noticing the cars: They were all second-hand German or Japanese. It didn't matter if the steering wheel was on the left or right!

In Osh, if you ask girls for direction, good luck! Girls would not even look at you and shun you as if you were invisible. When we were trying to find Taj Mahal Hotel, Raimon asked three groups of girls, but they ignored him. Hard luck! There were no men around!

We found a guest house from Lonely Planet guide, but it was not a convenient place. We, then, checked another one which was $10 a night per person in a six-bedded room with a shower and a toilet. It also had a beautiful yard for the guests to sit and chat. We checked in.

I was a little worried about safety and security in Osh, so I tried to blend in when I went out to Bazzar by not having my knapsack or my camera on me. I even didn’t have my passport on me when I went to Bazzar. I didn’t want to look like a tourist. I was also warned about the corrupt police in Osh by other cyclists who were stopped, asked for their passports and money. That’s why I couldn’t take any photos in Osh.  

We rested the whole day. Tomorrow, Fausto and I will be travelling together again. Raimon and Radu will leave a few days later.